this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2023
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Top Extensions to Make YouTube Bearable (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by oct_opus@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
22 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Hello fellow, ~~lemmings~~, lemmur !

If you are like me, you probably spend a lot of time on YouTube, more than you want to admit.

I remember the days when videos had stars instead of thumbs up or down, and when YouTube had, let's say, more mature content on it.

Now the site has a lot of functionalitys that are great for Google, but that I don't need nor want.

So, to improve the enjoyment of the platform, I present to you the ultimate extension survival kit for YouTube:

  1. uBlock Origin: (or your favorite ad-blocker) This is an absolute must-have. It's a good ad-blocker that not only blocks YouTube ads but also works across all websites. It's lightweight, efficient, and open-source. Say goodbye to ads.
  2. SponsorBlock: Skip over the sponsored segments of videos. It's a community-driven project, with users submitting the timestamps of sponsored content. You can even customize it to skip over different types of segments like intros, outros, and more.
  3. Return YouTube Dislike: Since YouTube removed the dislike count, it's been harder to gauge the quality of videos. This extension brings back the dislike count.
  4. DeArrow: Extension for crowdsourcing better titles and thumbnails. It removes click-bait titles and thumbnails providing a cleaner Youtube.
  5. YouTube Shorts Block: If you're not a fan of shorts, this extension is for you. It plays the Youtube shorts video as if it were a normal video and hides the "shorts" tab from the left menu. Firefox Link Chrome Link
  6. Enhancer for YouTube: Allows you to add theming options, auto-HD, keyboard shortcuts and more.

These are the extensions I use. Don't hesitate to suggest more. I will edit the post accordingly.

It's not lost on me that these extensions remove many things that were not initially a problem on YouTube but that either arose because of the monetary incentive of Google handling the website, Youtubers trying to make money, or as countermeasures to problems that were taken care of by a previous extension. This kind of feels like an arms race…

Edit 1: Changed the YouTube Shorts Block description and added Enhancer for YouTube

all 23 comments
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[–] Speculater@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Reminder to all, Firefox on Android can use UBlock Origin. It's an easy setup, no more ads.

[–] BaroqueInMind@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago

Corollary, you can install Firefox Nightly and setup an addon collection on the FF website and use pretty much all desktop addons on your mobile Firefox browser.

[–] beefontoast@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

Brave browser on android has YouTube ad blocking by default.

[–] autokludge@programming.dev 1 points 2 years ago

I came across Unhook, which lets you remove parts of YouTube that are designed to keep you there.

Changed the YT home page to subscriptions instead of 'the algorithm'.

[–] sic_semper_tyrannis@feddit.ch 1 points 2 years ago
[–] axzxc1236@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Restore YouTube Username from Handle to Custom

This script restores REAL NAMES in comments instead of @user-xxxxxx, I am so sick of that shit, I hope revanced will have this function soon. (Edit: I guess that will never happen)

[–] Kbin_space_program@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

If you're on Android, Newpipe, from Newpipe.net, is great.

I found out about it when Google delisted it.

[–] backshift0022@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

If you want some of these features on mobile Android TV, you've still got options!

For Android TV, there's SmartTubeNext: https://smarttubenext.com/ It includes ad blocking and SponsorBlock. I also think the UX is a bit better than the official YouTube app.

For Android, there's obviously ReVanced: https://revanced.app/

And for iOS there's uYou+ (hasn't been updated in a while): https://github.com/qnblackcat/uYouPlus or iVanced (https://github.com/TherionRO/YouTubeiVanced) they will need AltStore to be installed, and will need to be re-signed with a PC/Mac every week.

You can also use AdGuard on iOS though safari and the SponsorBlock extension in the App Store too, but video quality isn't great.

If you want to avoid resigning with AltStore or using Google services, there's also Yattee for iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1595136629 and Invidious and Piped client!

I don't have an android device so if any of my info is wrong let me know!

[–] yemmy@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

For YouTube Shorts, you can copy this filter into the uBlock My Filters.

[–] bilb@lem.monster 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)
  • Pay for youtube premium

^ducks^

[–] cxx@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'm impressed! Suggesting paying for YouTube premium on Reddit is a one-way ticket to downvotesville.

I pay for it too, and it's completely worth it considering how much time I spend there every day (including music)..

Not to mention the other day I had to use normal YouTube on someone else's computer and the ads are unbearable.

[–] 4815162342@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

.

[–] Historical_General@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Youtube shorts block is a godsend by the sounds of it, installing now.

[–] winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You can also easily block them with ublock origin's block element feature :)

[–] Historical_General@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I like the part where it'll play as a normal video as well.

[–] JohnBoBon@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yesssss. Youtube shorts are fine except that it won't let you navigate them like a normal video. I don't understand why they don't wanna have consistant layout between shorts and videos. It's like a separate site

[–] whats_all_this_then@programming.dev 1 points 2 years ago

My guess: keeping it similar to TikTok, since that's what shorts trt to compete with.

[–] ultralight@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Probably not the crowd for this but I just use YouTube premium at this point. I used ublock previously to manage some of this but the kicker was ensuring I could watch YT seamlessly on all devices (TV - fire stick, ipad, ios). I know I can setup a pi hole but have been moving last couple years. Perhaps soon once I settle.

[–] SilentStorms@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

You can set up NextDNS, which will block ads across devices and networks. I think the free tier gives you 300k queries a month.

Never done PiHole but I think the result is similar, with less hassle.

[–] S_204@lemm.ee 0 points 2 years ago

Does this stuff work on mobile?

I use my phone to cast, and/or a google dongle on the TV for Youtube primarily. Almost never from a desktop.... does this work still?

[–] pazukaza@lemmy.ml -1 points 2 years ago

Please keep in mind that every extension you install is an attack vector for hackers. Just because an extension does something cool doesn't mean you should install it.

Please stick with the most used extensions, the ones that Mozilla recommends. This is for your safety.